Faith in Conflict

The
Impact of the Great War on the Faith of the People of Britain

Stuart Bell

Solihull:
Helion, 2017

Hardcover.
xvi+240 p. ISBN 978-1911512677. £35

Reviewed
by Timothy J. Demy, Th.D., Ph.D.

U.S. Naval
War College

Newport (Rhode
Island)

The centennial commemoration of the
First World War has generated a plethora of books on the causes, course, and
consequences of that human tragedy. Equally interesting and less frequently
studied are the social and cultural dimensions of the war. Stuart Bell’s
engaging Faith in Conflict studies
one aspect of the latter—religion. The author’s title is aptly chosen in that
the study views spiritual and theological conundrums that arose because of the
war as well as the role of faith during the war. The purpose of the work is stated
clearly in the beginning of the introduction: “This book is intended to offer
an answer to the question, ‘How did the First World War affect the religious
faith of the people of Britain?’ ” [xii].

The book’s eight chapters flow nicely and
sustain a valuable and enlightening study advancing what is known of the religious
belief and expressions of it during the war by British soldiers (though not
sailors) and civilians. Bell examines a broad range of published and archival
sources including letters, diaries, newspapers, hymns, sermons, and liturgical
material to explore the effects of the First World War on beliefs of British
churchgoers, non-churchgoers, and soldiers during the war. Surprisingly he
concludes that the influence of faith was limited and there was not a surge of
religious enthusiasm. Changes occurred within the content of the religious
context but there was not great expansion of it.

The Introduction and first chapter address
a popular and longstanding declaration about the loss of faith during the war
and joins the ranks of those whose studies in the last two decades have brought
a broader, more nuanced, and balanced perspective to the topic of religion
during the war. While it is true that there were some prominent ecclesiastical
and literary voices during the 1920s writing of the loss of faith during the
war, their writings overstated the historical evidence. Bell notes, that
“ordinary soldiers and civilians, the vast majority of them whom, as we shall
see, rarely commented on their own beliefs, were highly unlikely to record
explicitly any loss of faith” [xiii].

Chapter 1, ‘Setting the Scene”, marks the
boundaries of the study emphasizing that its focus is almost entirely on the
Protestant response in Britain. The study also goes beyond the national
religious press and views local newspapers, soldiers’ diaries, and soldiers’
correspondence. The section “The ubiquity of hymnody” is also important in
setting the stage for the appearance of the role of hymnody in the remainder of
the work.

Chapter 2, “A Holy War and a Favoured
Nation”, shows that from the onset of the war and the first Sunday after the
declaration of hostilities there was broad, though not universal, acceptance of
Britain’s role in the war as divinely-favored nation engaged in a holy and
righteous war. The war was understood widely to be the physical manifestation
of a conflict between good and evil.

Chapter 3, “God of Battles – Lord of
Hosts”, provides an excellent survey of how biblical phrases and ideas were
quickly and frequently adapted in rhetoric, sermons, hymns, and prayers. Just
as Shakespeare’s “God of battles” (Henry
V, Act IV, Scene 1 and lyrics from the vibrant patriotic song Our Country’s Call) led to victory over
the French and the “Lord of Hosts” defended the Israelites of the Old
Testament, so too would Britain be victorious in its endeavor.

Such adaptation of
Old Testament stories of divine support and intervention for the armies of
Israel would become commonplace in the Great War and was a key characteristic
of the “God of battles” discourse, which had featured also in both the American
Civil War and the South African wars [50-51].

Chapter 4, “Omnipotence and
Providence”, studies the theological questions with respect to the attributes
of God raised by the war. For British Christian soldiers on the battlefield
there were spiritual struggles questioning how an omniscient and omnipotent God
would permit death and destruction on such an enormous scale. Though many
soldiers embraced a personal fatalism, the magnitude of the war’s tragedy and
trauma gave rise to a deep personal theological crisis for many of the
combatants and noncombatants. The questions and crisis were not limited to the
battlefield but, also, were shared on the home front.

Chapter 5, “Sacrifice and
Memorialisation”, views the quick rise and acceptance of prayers for the dead.
The powerful theme of sacrifice in patriotic and religious rhetoric was coupled
with a new development—“the belief that an act of heroic sacrifice in a good
and holy cause was a guarantee of eternal salvation, irrespective of the faith
or life-style of the fallen soldier” [100]. The concept of salvation by death
in battle frequently was bolstered by hymns expressing ideas of martyrdom for
the nation. The spread of the religious practice of prayers for the dead moved
beyond the traditional acceptance of them in Catholicism and Anglo-Catholicism.
Such prayers became commonplace in individual and corporate religious devotion.

Chapter 6, “Beyond Sacrifice to a
Suffering God”, moves to the deeply theological and philosophical issues of
theodicy and the nature and attributes of God. It does so by providing an
overview of how popular pastor and chaplain, Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy
“challenged head-on the assertion that God is in control of everything and that
it was his will that the war was happening” [130]. Known to troops as “Woodbine
Willie,” Studdert Kennedy’s ideas were popularized through his writings and
poetry in which he rejected the traditional theological construct of an
omnipotent God. However, though his prose and poetry sold widely, Bell also
concludes “there is no evidence that there was any serious engagement with his
advocacy of a suffering God” [146]. The author notes that this lack of
interaction bolsters the thesis that wartime religion in Britain had minimal
long-term social consequence.

Chapter 7, “Ecumenism”, weaves the
tapestry of limits and activities of ecumenical activities in the theaters of
war and on the home front. Also viewed are those activities in the years
immediately after the war, especially the 1920 Lambeth conference of Anglican
bishops. Although there were conflicting tensions among the religious groups,
there was also recognition of the need for unity during the war in order to
minister to a nation united by loss, grief, and a desire to memorialize the
fallen soldiers.

Chapter 8, “Faith at the Front”,
personalizes the religious experience during the war by studying the diaries
and letters of five soldiers and argues that they represent the median between
fervent faith and complete rejection of corporate and personal religious
activity.

A very helpful glossary of
ecclesiastical and military terms addresses church denominations, church
structures and clergy titles, army units and officers, and the development of
the British Army. The appendix, “The Commemoration Service for Lieut. Hugh
Valentine Gamble, 13 May 1917”, offers a sample of the structure of such church
services during the war. Illustrations and photos enhance the work bringing to
it a fullness that otherwise would be absent. Before the very helpful
bibliography the author provides readers “A Note on Secondary Sources” giving a
good overview of the historiography of the British Churches and the First World
War.

Religious responses to the war were
not uniform. However, on the home front, from pulpits to pews to pubs there was
an underlying belief that God was on Britain’s side in the war. Even deeper was
a conviction that God had providentially chosen Britain for ultimate victory.

Bell’s work stands among the books
that should be “first reads” for any who are interested in the subject of religion
and the Great War. It is exceptionally well-documented and well-written and
readers will not be disappointed.